Clockwork Orange

What do youths read these days?  Do they read the same kind of stuff as we did when we were teenagers?  Well, I don't know many teenagers, but the few parents of teenagers I asked seem to think that is the case.  If this is true, do generations just go through the same literature cycle, and has there not been any movement on cult literature in the past 20 years?

This has been bugging me since Golf Boy and I went to see A Clockwork Orange at the Citz last week.  During the interval, he quite observantly pointed out that we were in the minority - the older audience in the crowed.  While I was busy protesting being described as "old(er)", I did come to realise that we were among a room full of young people.

It did surprise me a little.  When we go and see bands from our uni days, the crowds are generally similar in age - ageing rockers wearing the band T-shirt from 20 years ago that they clearly have grown out of long ago.  I wasn't quite expecting the retrofest, but Clockwork Orange was a book of my youth, where are all my fellow ex-cult fiction readers?

I guess cult classics are just that, it ought to appeal to generations of readers.  Although I remember having come across a definition of cult fiction as "books that you take very seriously when you're 17...  books our children just won't get".  Well, I don't know if I did take it so seriously when I was 17, but the latter clearly can't be true.

I'm reading Julian Barnes's History of the World in 10&1/2 chapters at the moment, perhaps it's time for another cult novel.  I'll need to investigate our modern day cult novels, praying it's more than just Twilights the series...

Whereas for the production at the Citz, it was very good.  Love the way they have updated it with references to recent world events.  The fight scenes were creative and well choreographed, although I think they went a bit mad with the flashing lights at times.  Golf Boy and I agreed on 4 stars!